There are major advantages for students living in dormitories. The most obvious is cost. A room can cost as little as 45 Turkish lira a month. Both single and shared rooms are available, and most dormitories (though not individual rooms) have kitchens where students can cook their own meals. Affordable cafeterias are available and open late so that students can eat even if they don´t feel like cooking.
Dormitories are great places for students to meet other young people, both Turkish and international, and they will certainly offer foreigners better chances of making friends than most rented apartments.
The disadvantages to dormitory living are primarily the close proximity of the living conditions and shared bathroom facilities. In addition, most Turkish dormitories are segregated by sex. This may strike foreign university students as strange or unnecessary.
Certain universities might offer additional accommodation, such as subsidized shared apartment living, but you should consider these exceptions and not the rule.
Students that would prefer not to live in university housing are left with the same options as anyone else looking for accommodation in Turkey.